Harmony
Being a savage beast as well as being a perfect human is equally harmful to the Uratha's level of Harmony. One that succumbs or denies the beast will eventually loose ability to control it, and the deranging Uratha become less and less concerned with the world around her as her Harmony level drains. Recklessness and violence follow in the footsteps of low levels of Harmony; eventually turning the Uratha into a Zi'ir. Sins of Harmony Harmony is lost when the Uratha commits certain sins against her nature. Despite that all Uratha may lose Harmony if they commit sins against their human or wolfish nature (i.e. living on an all-vegetarian diet, murdering a person, beating their spouse, seeing only artificial light for a several days), and the following list specifies what specific sins may be committed towards the third spirit within. These sins are marked with a level of Harmony, raging from level 1 to 10. An Uratha with a level 10 in Harmony must not commit any of the listed sins, even marked with a Harmony level below hers, to retain her balance. Uratha with a low Harmony level may commit sins marked with a higher level without any penalty; however, if the sin is repeated multiple times, they will slip further into degeneration. Note that whilst some sins is co-morbid with tenets in both the Oath of the Moon and Oath of Urfarah, these listed sins are not considered actual rules, only guidelines that the Uratha must follow if she wants to walk the path of Harmony. Penalty for committing a sin is only a loss of Harmony; no extra punishment from the Uratha's pack or tribe is added, as long she didn't break a vow. 'List of Sins' *''Level 10, Not shapeshifting for more then three days'': An Uratha can't achieve a perfect balance if she denies who and what she is, even for a short time. Running in Hishu, Urhan, or something in between, denies the duality of their nature. *''Level 10, Over-usage of gifts'': Gifts are made to be used wisely, not only for personal benefits but for aid in the hunt. Gifts must never be the Uratha's weapon of choice, as it makes her reliant on the spirits, whom the very next day could be her target prey. *''Level 9, Not obtaining your own food:'' Uratha are predators, and relying too much on human-provided sources of food or sustenance caught by others is an offence against this. *''Level 9, Carrying a silver weapon:'' Silver weaponry has no major affect on any other race then the Uratha, and carrying such a weapon in thus an inherent offence as it will most certainly be used to harm and kill other People. This also applies for activation of Mother Luna's gifts, level 3: Silver Jaws. Of course, coming to terms with this sin means that one also have an realistic outlook on life; the People do still murder the People, so one must be prepared to defend himself. *''Level 8, Disrespect to a spirit or elder Uratha:'' By nature, Uratha are quick to confront, challenge, intimidate and stalk both spirits and their own kind to ask for favours or services. However, they must only do so when they have the right; spirits are easily insulted, and already highly sceptical of their self-proclaimed overlords. A cub must also approach her elder kin with respect, as insults or defiance is forgetting the social structure of the Uratha. With that being said, it's allowed to point out a weakness, or challenge a weakened Alpha to battle, but it must always be done with respect and caution. *''Level 7, Spending too much time alone:'' The People are plural, just as a pack implies a group. Werewolves are social animals, and must bond with their own kind at least once a week, else this sin is committed. Human, wolf or supernatural contacts may provide the social support a werewolf needs, but it won't be able to replace the power of a pack. *''Level 7, Significantly violating a tribal vow:'' All Uratha, Pure and Forsaken alike, abide by different tenets connected to their respective Oaths and tribes. Minor violations, such as a Storm Lord showing weakness by having a smoke in front of her packmates, doesn't count, but major violations such as a Blood Talon giving up in an unworthy fashion or an Ivory Claw bonding too much with one of lesser blood then herself is committing this sin. *''Level 6, Mating with other Uratha:'' The People descend from the same parents, and mating amongst themselves is an act akin to incest, especially amongst the Forsaken. However, controversy revolves around this sin; does it apply to petting and oral sex as well? Is homosexual acts counted? Answer is, if the committed sexual act may produce children aka mating (vaginal sex), it's considered a sin. Multiple sexual acts of other nature may however add up, eventually lowering the Uratha's level of Harmony. *''Level 6, Slaying a human or wolf needlessly:'' Killing when there's no real threat is the mark of a rabid beast, not a predator whose nature also embraces that of the human and the wolf. A werewolf trying to walk the path of Harmony must learn to separate a necessary kill from an act of spite or emotion. *''Level 5, Slaying a werewolf in the heat of battle:'' Death is not needed to make a point; the one that is felled and allowed to regenerate is obviously the lesser of the two. It's arguable whether members of the Pure and Forsaken tribes can arrive at such honourable terms, so sometimes, survival demands killing. An Uratha who successfully slays another Uratha with her own might, weapons or gifts, always suffer a Harmony loss. *''Level 4, Revealing the existence of werewolves to a human:'' If the Uratha reveals her nature to a human, not including wolf-blooded, she suffers a loss of Harmony. Instances may include public displays of bestial forms, or usage of gifts that will make an onlooker aware that something supernatural just happened. Therefore, a Forsaken can't rely on Lunacy alone to not commit this sin. *''Level 4, Using a silver weapon against another werewolf:'' Carrying a silver weapon shows indifference; actually using it against another werewolf is considered a gruesome sin. A werewolf using a silver weapon on their kin means to damage and maybe kill, therefore it's considered a violation of balance. *''Level 3, Torturing enemies or pray:'' Even though this is not an outspoken tenet in the Oath of Urfarah; Pure, Forsaken, and tribeless werewolves suffers a Harmony loss whenever they're unnecessary cruel to their prey. Torturing prey exceeds the needs of survival, and thus no righteous predator will perform such acts. *''Level 3, Murdering a werewolf:'' It's a sign of respect to allow a defeated fore to rise, and accept his place as second. Victors who decide to not demonstrate such honour and finishes of their bested foes, even if they're unconscious, have no valour and therefore sinks even deeper into bestiality. *''Level 2, Hunting humans or wolves for food:'' Uratha shares close bonds with both wolves and humans, and feasting on either is an act of cannibalism. It must be noted that such flesh grants the Uratha temporarily spiritual strength; she may ignore her current level of Harmony, and wield gifts as if she were at full balance. *''Level 1, Betrayal of pack:'' The pack is more then family; more then friends. To betray that trust is a terrible treason, and erodes the werewolf's sense of being, even if she was coerced into it. *''Level 1, Hunting Uratha for food:'' Even though no Uratha would ever think of this if she wasn't in desperate need, doing so is still committing a sin, and the final step to becoming a Zi'ir. State of the soul When the werewolf loses the balance in her life, interaction with spirits becomes harder, wielding of their gifts a more exhausting process, and her own instincts takes over her reasoning. Increasing balance and levels in Harmony is nothing that is done by not sinning for a short while; Harmony only rises through cleansing of the soul, removing the very urge to commit the Sins - which, in some cases, are very tempting indeed. The following are character guidelines that you can use when creating your Uratha character, adding appropriate personality traits and setting goals. *''Harmony level of 8, 9 or 10:'' There werewolves lives in harmony with the spirits, and has found balance within themselves. A high level of Harmony is the only thing that may impress a spirit, and as so, Uratha with a Harmony at this level wields their gifts without extra effort. An Uratha with a corresponding Harmony level knows that she's never truly alone, as the Shadow Realm lurks just behind her, and abandoning her pack is an absolute impossibility. *''Harmony level of 6 or 7:'' Most Uratha fall into the range of a Harmony level between 6 and 7. They understand the reasons behind the Oath they have sworn, but can't always be bothered to observe the more annoying tenets. Ordering pizza is easier then going out in the forest to slay a deer, but the Uratha still recognises slaying of kin or betrayal of pack as terrible sins. Most freshly changed Uratha starts out with a Harmony level of 6, unless the First Change was especially traumatic or if they lived a hard life before turning. *''Harmony level of 4 or 5:'' At these levels, the Uratha loses much of her regard for life: she isn't necessarily sadistic, but selfish. The pack is no longer considered the most important asset in her life, instead, it's only about me and what I want. She follows the major tenets, if she abides by any, but makes up her own loopholes if necessarily. Most Ghost Wolves has an Harmony level of 4 or 5, as it's within these levels possible to regard all of the people as their pack instead of a grouping of individuals. *''Harmony level of 1, 2 or 3:'' Werewolves of these levels don't tend to work for anything except their own self-betterment, and only occasionally tending to the goals of her pack or tribe. Lustful enough to bed anyone that strikes her fancy, and impulsive enough to easily fall into Kuruth; most werewolves of these levels have almost no inhibitions when it comes to self-satisfaction. Spirits won't teach gifts to Uratha that falls between a Harmony of 1-3, and Uratha will find it hard to wield gifts they have acquired before. *''The Zi'ir:'' The Zi'ir, or a Broken Soul, is an Uratha whose Harmony is at level zero. The Zi'ir have descended to far into their own Rage that they can no longer access the Spirit World, and not even the Totem spirits of any Uratha tribe calls them a friend. All Zi'irs are wandering loners, slaves under the influence of their auspice. Most also acts out various compulsions, so whilst they may still function in both the human and wolf society, they're seen as very strange and aloof. If a Zi'ir is found by a Pure or a Forsaken, they're mostly slain, as killing such a bestial, repulsive creature isn't considered an act of sin. Acts of penance One of the major pillars that upholds the Pure and Bale Hound society, is that they must hunt other Uratha. Doing so is however committing sins on many levels, as it doesn't only mean that kin is killed, but also that silver weaponry might be carried and the target tortured. Most experienced Pure and Bale Hounds is very well aware of that all sins add up, eventually turning them into deranged monsters if they don't thread carefully. All Pure tribes and the Bale Hounds therefore commits acts of penance, which allows them to retain their achieved level of Harmony whilst still being true to their cause. Following are a lists of tribe-specific acts that is committed as penance for the different tribes. Please observe that most of the following examples are made up for Charade of Shadows only. Inspiration has been drawn from Werewolf the Forsaken – The Pure and Werewolf the Forsaken - Blasphemies, both which is a recommended read should you want to learn more about the Pure's and Bale Hounds' relationship to Harmony. 'The Bale Hounds' The patron spirit of the Bale Hounds, Viruhk-Ur or the Soulless Wolf, might once have been a creature just like his brothers and sister. However, once he was enslaved by the Maelinet, his purpose became not to guide his children, but instead to absorb their sins so that they might fight unhindered for the Maeljin's cause. As so, when a Bale Hound wishes to commit her act of penance, she must enter a wound and howl for her patron spirit to descend. When Viruhk-Ur arrives, he sucks out the Harmony penalties that the Bale Hound has suffered of late, drastically raising the Bale Hound's Harmony by two levels. The downside, however, is that Viruhk-Ur not only seems to be sucking out the sins, but also a tiny fraction of the Bale Hounds spirit. This might be why most elder Bale Hounds are obsessed with vice, acting them out like compulsions rather than to please the Maelinet. 'The Fire-Touched' The Fire-Touched cleanse themselves from their committed sin through fire and faith; the Uratha may either burn herself intentionally repeated times, swallow burning coals, or run a heated blade over her limbs. When the act is done, she meditates upon her faith for a several hours, and may thereafter rise strong and true to Gurim-Ur's cause. The more severe the burn and pain from her wound, and the longer the Uratha meditates, the stronger she will become. The most extreme acts might even raise Harmony, though the thoughts of the Uratha hasn't changed. 'The Ivory Claws' By inflicting pain on themselves, the Ivory Claws gains spiritual forgiveness for her sins by gaining closer understanding about their Tribe totem Hathis-Ur. After an excessive washing to remove any stains or dirt that might corrupt their purity, the Ivory Claws proceeds with a ritual stabbing. A knife or dagger of silver is embedded in the flesh, and then left in the wound for as long the Uratha can withstand it, or until she understands that the pain of her wound is no stronger then the pain of Hathis-Ur. Due to the nature of their cleansing act, which includes carrying a silver weapon, no Ivory Claw does ever rise higher then a Harmony of 8. 'The Predator Kings' To render themselves from sin, the Ninna Farakh enters the wild to atone for it. This act of penance might sound a lot simpler then the rites of the Fire-Touched or the Ivory Claws, but for an Uratha still keeping in touch with human society, it might be the hardest one to conceal. The Predator Kind takes on his Urhan shape and runs into the forest to live like a true wolf, embracing the true way of the becoming new masters of Earth. At least two weeks is needed for the Ninna Farakh to cleanse herself from sin, but if she chooses a to roam a full month instead, her Harmony level will have increased by the time she turns back. As so, Predator Kings are never seen with a Harmony above 9. Category:Uratha Lore